How a con customer was outsmarted in his mission of stealing laptops

A middle aged man who has been posing as a customer yet he is a seasoned conman has been giving electronic sellers in Jamia mall located at the CBD a hard time.

Benard Otieno is used to move across the Nairobi CBD in a bid to earn an extra coin through dubious means of conning people who own electronic stalls. He was used to sneaking from the stalls with laptops without being detected.

Otieno always walked with a small bag which he uses to carry any electronic equipment that he stole from the stalls. The man was beaten in his own game on Friday after CCTV cameras were installed without his knowledge and in the process, he was nabbed.

 The Police and business owners laid a trap before he was apprehending him.Otieno went to one stall and told the seller to sell him ten TVs.As the businessman was busy getting the TVs as ordered by the ‘customer’, Otieno pretended to be talking on his phone as he walked to the counter.

The shop owner at first did not suspect him.Otieno took the chance to steal a laptop that was on the counter.

“As I was getting him the TVs he went to the display section and pretended to be conversing on phone as he got the laptop from the counter using the left hand and hide it in the bag ready to leave,” said the businessman.

According to the police, Otieno is operating under a cartel of electronic thieves. They urged business people to be extra vigilant and report any suspiciously looking person who enters their business premises.

Meanwhile, Otieno who will be arraigned in court on Monday said that they work as a group and after getting the electronics they sell them to unsuspecting people at a cheaper price.

He further revealed that some of the cartels have opened electronic stall where they sell the stolen electronics together with those they have genuinely bought. Otieno also said that some of the thieves own electronic repair stalls whereby they get some parts from the stolen laptops to repair those of their customers.